Universities 'tell arms firms they will monitor social media'

Universities in the UK reassured arms companies they would monitor students’ social media after firms raised concerns about campus protests, according to internal emails.

- Daniel Boffey Aaron Walawalkar

One university said it would conduct “active monitoring of social media” for any evidence of plans to demonstrate against Rolls-Royce at a careers fair.

A second appeared to agree to a request from Raytheon UK, the British wing of a major US defence contractor, to “monitor university chat groups” before a campus visit.

Another university responded to a defence firm’s “security questionnaire” seeking information about social media posts suggestive of protests over the firm’s alleged role in fuelling war, including in Gaza.

The universities’ apparent compliance with the sensitivities of arms firms before careers fairs has emerged in emails obtained by the Guardian and Liberty Investigates after freedom of information (Fol) requests.